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Monday, July 7, 2014

Moving Beyond the Page (A Review)

Moving Beyond the Page is a complete homeschool curriculum, based on literature studies and unit studies. It is an amazing site, with a huge variety of topics and books from which to choose. Homeschooling parents will find Science, Social Studies, Literature, Reading, and Math topics here!

This intriguing Language Arts Package from Moving Beyond the Page included a hard copy of the book Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit, and an online Study Guide with questions and activities written by Kim A. Howe, M.S. The entire package is only $19.92, and is recommended for students who are reading and comprehending at a 6th - 7th grade level, and who are able to understand the process of five-paragraph essays.

Tuck Everlasting, if you aren't familiar with it, is a fantasy novel, written about a young girl named Winnie Foster who meets the Tucks, a family who has discovered the secret of living forever. When an unscrupulous stranger threatens to endanger the Tucks, the story gently draws the reader in to discover the choices related to life and death decisions.

The online study guide provides teacher instruction and printable pages for your student. I printed the entire guide before beginning. As my daughter read through the book, I would have her stop and complete the worksheets as the questions related to her recent reading. This allowed her to quickly remember and review the chapters and brought the story to a deeper level than just quickly reading through it alone.

The Tuck Everlasting online guide includes several thought-provoking questions, grammar guides and writing activities. Below are some sample questions:

I remember my older children reading this book, so I was pleased that Abbey also enjoyed this. I can see her choices in reading maturing a bit each week, and this wonderful literature guide from Moving Beyond the Page was a great way to really pull more information out of her deep mind. Social Studies Package: Geography and LandformsThis package includes three wonderful books: Moving Beyond the Page's Geography and Landforms by Kathryn L. Walbert, Ph. D., Geography of the World: The Essential Family Guide to Geography and Culture byJayne Parsons, and The Geography Book: Activities for Exploring, Mapping, and Enjoying Your World byCaroline Arnold. The total package is only $51.93 and is recommended for ages 10 -12 who can read on a 6th - 7th grade level.

This user-friendly package guides both teacher and student through the study of how geography influences culture and vice versa. The study focuses on North and South America, and how the student's own backyard relates to the bigger picture. Moving Beyond the Page's Geography and Landforms guide provides specific instructions on how to move through the three books together so your student gains the most from each lesson. The lessons and activities include a great balance of both reading and hands-on activities to allow the student to have fun learning without getting bogged down in the facts. My 5th grader loved the activities, and by the second lesson, was doing them completely independently.

Abbey's Imaginary Place Map Activity

Abbey's Continents of the World Activity

Playing Match the Geography Terms with Definitions Activity

Abbey's Map/Panoramic Pic of her Cul-de-sac Activity

A peek inside The Geography Book

A peek inside The Geography Book

A peek inside Geography of the World

The quality and content of each of these three books are incredible. The guesswork for the teacher is non-existent, and the package allows you to relax and just enjoy the process. I especially love the way each lesson gives your child options for activities, based on what you have on hand or based on which your child simply prefers to do.

We used this unit 3 - 4 days per week, for about 30 minutes per day. It was a great format, and mixed content from the three books included in the package in a way that kept her interested. Older kids may be able to spend more time on each lesson, but for us, that schedule worked really well.

Want to see more? For samples of how units are laid out, click here. The Bottom Line I am happy to recommend both the Literature Package: Tuck Everlasting-Online AND the Social Studies Package: Geography and Landforms from Moving Beyond the Page, but I encourage you to research each offering from this great company. I'll bet you'll find something your students will love! Moving Beyond the Page has an active Facebook page, so click HERE to be redirected there and "like" them. In addition, by clicking the banner below, you can read reviews from other homeschooling families and see some of the other Moving Beyond the Page units that were studied over the last two months. I have LOVED seeing how others used these great products, and if you're as much of a curriculum junkie as I am, you will too!